Unplanned Trips into the Mysterious Unknown
by EsTeLweNadia
Summary: Multi-Crossovers. A Jr.centric story. In which Jr. finds himself unwillingly being pulled into worlds he does not know exist, all because of a malfunctioning E.V.S. Tune in to find out more. Updated! Chapter Two - Togenkyo - Fic is still on hiatus unless otherwise stated.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Unplanned Trips into the Mysterious Unknown

**By**: EsTeLwEnadia

**Summary**: Crossovers. A Jr.-centric story. In which Jr. finds himself unwillingly being pulled into worlds he does not know exist, all because of a malfunctioning E.V.S. Tune in to find out more.

**Rating**: General. Rated for Jr.'s and some other characters' language.

**Disclaimer**: All of Xenosaga's characters and its plot aren't mine. Sadly, regretfully, so is Jr.

**Author's Note**: I actually want to put this in the summary, but then it will be too long, so yeah. You might want to know that the worlds involved are of several animes, video games, books, even TV shows. And this leads me to saying that none of the characters of these anime, or game, or movie or TV show, are mine. So there.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Go on… read…and enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Unplanned Situation**

Jr. blinked in bewilderment as he glanced around his surroundings. He wasn't where he wanted to be, and that fact annoyed and scared the hell outta him.

"What the hell?" He snarled, whipping out his connection gear, "Shelley, where the hell am I? And what the hell is going on?"

The screen just pulsed black and white, and a moment later, Shelley's distorted image finally broke through, followed belatedly by her muffled voice. "I apologize, Little Master. It seems that the E.V.S is currently malfunctioning. We will initiate immediate repair, and in the meantime you will have to stay in that world."

Jr.'s blue eyes narrowed as the information sunk in. "You mean, I'm stuck here?!"

"Crudely put, yes. But I am uncertain so as to how long."

The red-haired not-quite child sighed. "Can you tell at least tell me where I am?"

"I am truly sorry, Little Master. The location you are in now is not recorded in our database. I believe you are in a place that does not exist, or in a completely different dimension."

A string of colorful curses threatened to leave the tip of his tongue but he forced them back down. It was not Shelley's fault he ended up here, nor was it his fault. It was that damned E.V.S's fault. How can it malfunction at a time like this?

"Please be warned that throughout the repair you may find yourself being transported into another location without warning."

Jr. groaned. "That bad, huh? So, Shelley, what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"First thing first you must try to learn more about your surroundings, because it is unwise to wander in a place you know so little of. Try to keep a low profile, and if you can, try to blend in with your surroundings. If you stay as you are, you might be attracting unwanted attention and danger. You must obey the laws and regulations of that land, and respect their way of life. If you are in the past, you must not do anything to change it, or reveal anything about the future. I do not mean to offend, but you have to watch how you speak when talking to the people, alright?"

Jr. rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I got that."

A slight pause. "Please, chibi-sama, you have to be careful and be on your guard at all times. None of us will know what will happen, or what danger will befall on you."

Jr. exhaled in silent exasperation. "Don't worry about me, Shelley. I can take care of myself just fine."

"But the thought of you facing an unknown territory alone scares and worries me a great deal, Little Master."

At the face of Shelley's concern, Jr. tried to reassure her, "I will be fine. You know me; I won't be killed so easily. Besides, I will get allies as soon as I can, so lay off, okay? Right now while I am stuck here I will be relying on you and Mary to take care of everyone and everything for me until I can get back."

He could almost hear Shelley smile. "Gladly to, Little Master. You can count on me. I can assure you that you will be able to return to us as soon as the repair is done."

At that Jr. smiled. "That's good to hear."

As if sensing that it was the end of the conversation, the device frizzled away and died. Jr. frowned. He tried to activate the connection gear again but it simply wouldn't work. Scowling he stuffed the now-useless device in his coat pocket. Perfect timing. Now he had been completely cut-off from his own world, which ultimately meant he was completely on his own now.

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Okay. First Chapter done. Well… the prologue, more likely… 2nd chapter is in the making. So… how is it?


	2. Togekyo, Part I

**Chapter 2: **Togenkyo

**Summary: **Togenkyo was a peaceful land where demons and humans could live together. Suddenly, a negative wave of energy, the Minus Wave flowed towards Togenkyo and caused demons to go out of control. Jr. found himself fighting alongside four intriguingly powerful individuals destined to be going to the West to stop the resurrection of Ox Demon King, Gyumaoh.

**Genre**: Action/Adventure/Angst,

**Warning**: Expect some coarse language because some characters are just that foul-mouthed.

**Disclaimer**: All of Xenosaga's characters and its plot aren't mine. Sadly, regretfully, so is Jr. Neither is anything related to the Saiyuki.

**Author's Note**: Continued after YEARS. -_- Oh well. I actually want to put this in the summary, but then it will be too long, so yeah. You might want to know that the worlds involved are Saiyuki, Detective Conan, Dynasty Warriors, and Supernatural. Might be more, might not. And this leads me to saying that none of the characters of these anime, or game, or movie or TV show, are mine. So there. And I might be more ambitious than I thought.

This story has not been BETA-ed, so all visible and invisible mistakes are mine to bear.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Go on… read…and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Togenkyo**

_Now where the hell am I?_ He thought crossly to himself. He stood still for a moment, carefully surveying his surroundings. It appeared that he was near an outskirts of a village, but he wasn't ready to go in yet. He sighed for a second time ever since he landed in this place and ran a frustrated hand through his unruly mob of red hair. Here he was; in an unknown territory, all alone. The situation wouldn't be so bad if any of his friends was with him – Shion, KOS-MOS, chaos, Jin, Ziggy or MOMO – anyone of them would do.

"To hell with it," he muttered, and was about to enter the peaceful village when his keen hearing caught the noise of a fight somewhere deeper in the forest. And unmistakably, he heard a very familiar sound; a gunshot.

One of his well-defined red eyebrows rose up to his hairline. _A gunshot?_ He thought, frowning as he whirled around and ran towards the fight with all speed. _Right here?_

Upon reaching the scene where it took place in a clearing, he screeched into halt, sapphire eyes widening in surprise and disbelief.

A group of men, including a short young one with orange cape and spiky crimson-tinted brown hair was busy fending off ferocious attacks from a large numbers of sharp-eared, sharp-teethed and sharp-clawed…creatures which looked so much like humans. The blond-haired – _wait, was that a priest?_ – was the one wielding a Smith & Wesson silver pistol – _now why would a priest be holding a weapon? A pistol at that? Not a staff?_ – and Jr. noted with an impressed smirk that the priest was an expert. Reloading his gun with practiced ease, and firing with perfect accuracy without so much of batting an eyelid, Jr. hoped to compete with the guy someday.

There was another one. A tall man with long darker red hair, and he wielded a weapon unlike Jr. had ever seen before in his whole life. It was a long metal pole with a huge flat blade on one end and a crescent blade attached with a long, retractable chain on another end, and as Jr. watched, the man sent the blade flying, slashing through multiple enemies at once, spilling blood all over. Gruesome, gory and bloody, yet terrifyingly amazing.

The third man, short, dark-haired and clothed in green, Chinese attire was also impressive. Wearing a single monocle, the man put his hands together and as Jr. watched in amazement, golden light gathered in his hands, and the man unleashed the seemingly harmless light to the enemies, incinerating them in a single blast. It was just like a laser or something, and it seemed to be coming from within the man himself. Like his own Red Dragon mode, yet so much different.

The last one, the youngest and shortest of the group, was also the fastest and strongest fighter, Jr. observed. Coupled with a red and gold staff, the destruction the boy caused was remarkable. What had caught Jr.'s eyes was the golden crown resting on the boy's head, and Jr. could not help but wonder what it was for.

So entranced in the fight before him, Jr. almost missed a small, flying white creature flitting about the dark-haired man's head. At first Jr. wasn't sure what the creature was, but after much scrutiny, he realized that it was a dragon. A dragon! As if things could get any stranger here in this world. And that little dragon was puffing small fireballs at nearby enemies, trying its best to help its master.

The group as fearsome as them was able to hold out on their own, but Jr. could see that they were getting tired after what must have been fighting for a long time. Now that it was clear so as to help who, Jr. rushed in to interfere, withdrawing a handful of coins as he did so. It was now or never.

* * *

"Goddammit!" Gojyo snarled, barely able to duck away from an axe that came crashing down. "This gotta end soon! Stupid, damn bastards!"

"If you don't shut the fuck up and concentrate on sending them to hell, I'll send YOU to hell!" Sanzo snarled. He reloaded his faithful gun with vehemence and focused back to the seemingly never-ending battle with annoying pests of youkais.

"I'm hungry!" Goku wailed, but his complaint was cut short as Sanzo's bullet whizzed past his right ear. A pained youkai's yowl, followed by a heavy thud of a body behind him. Goku's golden eyes widened.

"Another word from you, Goku, and the next bullet's not going to miss," Sanzo growled.

"Maa, maa, minna," Hakkai intervened. Ever the pacifier despite a raging battle going on around them. "I know how are you guys feeling, but rather than taking it out on ourselves, let's take it out on the enemies. You will feel better and the enemies will decrease drastically. Wouldn't that be better?"

With that, their mouths clamped shut. Focusing once more on the battle at hand, they fought with renewed vigor, yet despite their very best efforts and optimism, the battle dragged on. Just as they thought they were a goner, a small, lithe, redheaded figure landed nimbly in front of them.

"You're going to regret this! Storm Waltz!" He shouted, throwing a handful of – _coins?_ - into the air, whipping out two silver pistols and began to fire rapidly, guns tracking each of the coins before they hit the ground. All of his bullets found their marks on the enemies' vital point, rendering them instant death. The display of skill had left the Sanzo-ikkou stunned for a moment before they snapped into action again. Only to realize that there was nothing left to kill. The little guy had eliminated all the remaining enemies with one single attack.

Their savior turned towards them, whirling his twin pistols around his trigger fingers before deftly shoving them into the holsters hanging on each side of his waist. The Sanzo-ikkou realized with numb surprise that he was just a kid, a mere twelve-year old, wearing a long, burgundy coat, a light maroon turtleneck shirt, leather pants and matching boots. The kid had startlingly clear blue eyes, and that wasn't the most striking feature he had. The crimson hair was, which rendered Gojyo into deeper silence, and others wondering if the kid was a halfbreed, like Gojyo himself.

The boy frowned, red eyebrows furrowing together as he stared up at them in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Hakkai was the first to recover. "Ah, no, it's not that. Thank you very much for helping us out of the predicament."

The kid grinned. "No problem. I happened to be just nearby." Abruptly the cheer left him, making the grin turned upside down. "Uh, may I know where we are? I'm kinda lost."

Something was wrong with the kid. He didn't look like he belonged in this world. As if agreeing, Sanzo said, rather pointedly, "You are not from this world or time, aren't you?"

To their surprise the kid didn't deny. Instead he shoved his hands on his coat pockets, turned his head slightly away from their scrutinizing stares and growled, "Damn right I'm not." Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku glanced at each other at the kid's language, and if Sanzo was surprised he didn't show it. Then they heard him muttered, "Stupid E.V.S. Fancy malfunctioning at a time like this…!"

"Uh, well," Hakkai began, "before anything maybe we ought to introduce ourselves, My name is Cho Hakkai, and this man here," he gestured at Gojyo, "is Sha Gojyo." He shifted his glance to Goku, "He is Son Goku," He angled his head towards Sanzo, "and he is Genjo Sanzo."

The kid scratched his head bashfully. "Oh, right. Forgot my manners. My name is Gaignun Kukai Jr., but you can call me Jr. Like your friend had pointed out, I am not from this world. I guess that is obvious. Initially I plan to go… somewhere… but the machine transporting me there decided to malfunction, so I ended up here. And I will have to stay here until the machine has been repaired, and even throughout the process I might be yanked into another world anytime."

As mind-boggling as the story was, the kid seemed to be telling the truth.

Sanzo glanced down at Jr. as he lit up a cigarette. "So what your problem got to do with us?"

Suddenly, Jr. became nervous, but he replied anyway, "Um… I was wondering, if you could, you know, let me tag along with you guys for awhile." At the scrutinizing stares, Jr. added quickly, "And don't worry, I won't be a burden, I promise!" As the silence stretched, Jr. ducked his head and mumbled, "But it is alright if you guys don't want me along."

Hakkai glanced at Sanzo. The rest of them had no problem taking in another one, but Sanzo was the one who made the final decision. And fervently Hakkai hoped he would, because leaving the kid, even if he knew how to take care of himself, in this world that a complete stranger to Jr. would mean leaving him to be killed in the hands of unknown dangers of Togenkyo.

"Sanzo?" He prodded, once he saw the amethyst eyes open.

Snorting, he let his cigarette fell to the dusty, blood-encrusted ground and ground it with the toe of his boot. "Fine, do whatever you fucking want!"

As Sanzo stalked off, Gojyo rounded on Jr. "Take that as a yes. Welcome to our party, Jr.!"

Jr. nodded, smiling his thanks. As they fell in step behind Sanzo, Goku started an animated chat with Jr., while Gojyo and Hakkai hung a little far back, observing the two, or mostly, Jr.

"There is something fishy about him," Gojyo stated. "And I'm not saying he's a bad guy or something."

Hakkai nodded. "I understand. He may seem young, but I think he is older than he looks. And when he holds the guns he knows what he is doing. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that he is harboring a dark secret as well."

Gojyo snorted, lighting up a cigarette. "Who doesn't?"

At that Hakkai gave a small, sad smile. Yes, Gojyo was right. Who, amongst them, do not keep a dark secret? He raised his head and watched Jr. closely. It didn't surprise him to notice that something was holding back the smile that never quite reach the eyes, and how the azure eyes shadowed for the fleetest of moment, and Hakkai wondered, what dark secret could a child, or rather, not-child, like Jr. keep?

* * *

As soon as they entered the village, instantly all eyes were fixed on them, especially on both Gojyo and Jr., and those gazes shone with hatred and disgust. Gojyo gave an exasperated sigh.

"You best not do or say anything, Gojyo," Hakkai advised, sensing the sudden tense hostility emanating from the villagers.

"If possible, be a zombie," Sanzo added, frowning deeply in heavy annoyance. He had neither mood nor the time to deal with this crap. "Just don't cause us any trouble."

Jr., who did not comprehend anything, stared up at them in puzzlement. "What's going on? Why are they staring at us like that?"

"This is not the best time for us to answer your question, Jr.-san," Hakkai said softly. "Later, alright?"

Jr. stared at him a tad longer before he gave a slow nod. The questions in his eyes did not wane, however. There were so many things he needed to know about this world, and his newfound allies, but it seemed that the need to satisfy his curiosity would have to wait for the opportune moment. And right now was not the moment.

They entered a small restaurant. Ignoring the cold stares, they chose a table near a window, and after a brief, hushed discussion, Hakkai signaled a waiter to relay their orders.

"I'm sorry, sirs," the waiter said stiffly, "We do not serve _halfbreeds_," he spat the word 'halfbreed' like it was a rancid meat on his tongue, "in our restaurant."

Though Jr. was still clueless so as what was going on, something inside him just snapped. He slammed his hands on the table so hard the table rattled. "What the fuck is wrong with you people? Staring at us like you gonna eat us is one thing, calling us '_halfbreeds_' is another! Who and what gives you the right to judge us by the way we look? Now bring our orders before I lose my temper. I'm telling you, you won't want to be near me when I lose it!"

Something must have happened, for the waiter fell back with a curse, but he took orders anyway and hurried to get it done. The Sanzo-ikkou stared at Jr. in askance. Jr. shot them a sharp glare. "Now why the hell are you staring at me? What? Haven't seen anyone lose his temper before?"

"Uh… it's not that…" Gojyo placated, putting his hands up as if to ward off the young not-child's anger. "We have seen Sanzo lose it before, and trust me, you are lucky you haven't seen him angry. All he does when he is in a bad mood is to hit people's heads with his infamous paper fan or shoots at us."

Jr.'s sapphire eyes narrowed. "So what the hell is the problem?"

"We are kind of surprised when your eyes flashed red just now," was Hakkai's pleasant reply.

Jr.'s eyes widened as the sentence sank in. He slumped back against his chair and muttered, "Shit!" Red Dragon mode. He shouldn't get too angry, or he wouldn't be able to suppress his anti-UDO Shift.

"Are you…alright?" Goku asked, tentatively, once he saw his new friend's depressed expression.

Jr. nodded, rubbing his temple. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… just… a little out of sorts… I didn't expect to get this riled up over an issue like this. Discrimination… it happens everywhere… I can't stand it…" Jr. sighed, his hands now moved to rub his face wearily. Now he looked very much older. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, there isn't any need to apologize," Hakkai said understandingly. "It is not your fault. Come now, let's dig in… the food is delicious when it's still piping hot."

The rest had already taken their fill. Jr. shot one look at the steaming hot dishes, and with a reluctant sigh, helped himself to the servings. He didn't know any of these dishes, but they smelled good enough to make his mouth water, and when they touched his tastebuds, his whole expression lit up.

"Holy cow!" He gasped, awestruck. "They are so delicious! I have never tasted anything quite like this before in my whole life!"

Hakkai couldn't help but smile. At least the food cheered him up, although to them the food wasn't that delicious. It seemed to have made Jr. happy, though. Perhaps his world did not serve this kind of food, and for that moment, Jr. seemed like a child he appeared to be.

* * *

That night, they managed to find a room in an inn. The innkeeper was kind enough to let them take a big room for the five of them to bunk in. There were futons, pillows and blankets provided, so the Sanzo-ikkou and Jr. didn't complain.

Now, as they lazed about giving in to their exhaustion, with Sanzo and Gojyo smoking near a window, Jr. decided that now was the best time to satisfy his curiosity.

"You guys haven't told me what this world is," He began.

Sanzo exhaled a wispy trail of smoke before looking at him. "This world is known as Togenkyo. A paradise where humans and demons, science and sorcery, once co-existed side by side in peace and harmony. However the forbidden amalgam of magic and used in an attempt to resurrect the Bull Demon King the Gyuumaoh from him eternal prison, set loose waves of negative energies that shifted the world's equilibrium, causing demons throughout the land to lose their humanity and plunging this paradise into a world of darkness, violence and chaos."

_chaos, huh?_ Jr. thought, remembering the silver-haired young man with gentle features and soft emerald eyes. He arched a slender red eyebrow, his gears churning. "I take it you guys are going to shift the balance back to before, and stop the resurrection of the demon king?"

Hakkai was surprised at the insight. "Yes, you got that right. We are also in a quest to obtain a sutra Sanzo is missing."

"Whoa! So it is three in a mission?" Jr. was amazed, and it showed in his eyes. "Oh, and where does the resurrection take place?"

"In the West!" Goku piped in brightly through a mouthful of crackers. "We all are headed there since a year ago, but it is still so far away!"

Gojyo bonked the boy on the head with a force hard enough to make Jr. flinch. "Don't talk with your mouth full, idiot! Look, you are spraying bits of food all over the goddamned mattress!"

In response Goku glowered at the tall red-haired man. "It's on MY mattress, so why should YOU care?"

Before their bickering could get any worse, Hakkai hurried to ask Jr. a question of his own. "So where are you from?"

Jr. blinked. "Oh, me? I am in a world way into the future. And I mean, _way_, into the future. About a few thousands years from your time. I spend most of my time in a huge spacecraft, and there are others too, in the vastness of the universe. Sometimes we would visit a planet or so, but that is unless when the need arises."

Goku and Gojyo of them stared at Jr. open-mouthed while Hakkai looked at him in aghast. Sanzo only raised a blond eyebrow, unfazed by the answer. "I must say your technology must be very much advanced as compared to ours."

"Well…" Jr. hesitated. "Yeah… obviously…and because of it, humans wanted to become God themselves, not caring what will happen to the rest of the universe or humanity." The expression darkened, the eyes became shadowed with grief and anger, and in a much quieter voice he murmured, "And I had no choice but to destroy those who are very close to me…"

A grim silence enveloped the room but Jr. failed to notice; so engrossed he was in his turmoil of grief and despair, and in that brief moment, a depressed young man seemed to have taken the place of the child, and that compelled Gojyo to ask, "You… are not exactly a kid, aren't you?"

Jr. wasn't surprised at the question, or he was too caught up in his trauma to feel the surprise, so he only shook his head. "No, I'm not. I am 27 years old now, whether you believe me or not." There was no use holding back now… he had to tell them the truth, to gain their trust, in order to survive in this world. He closed his eyes, unwilling to let them see the extent of his pain. "I was… created to be a weapon, to destroy, or at least suppress U-DO –a consciousness that exists in a different dimension from our own. I am different from my other comrades because I have this power – The Red Dragon Mode, or the Anti-UDO Shift – but it is a dual-edged power which can cause mutual destruction. To contain this power I have half-subconsciously halted the growth of my own body, making me look as I am today."

Even though they did not understand most of it, the torment evident in the child's voice was enough to silence their pending questions. Another time would come for the rest of the answers.

Snapping out of his trance, Jr. forwarded them another question that had been playing at the back of his mind. "What's a halfbreed?"

Gojyo flinched at that term. Fair enough, they had asked him a difficult question and now it was his turn, even though he did not realize it, but surprisingly Gojyo replied this with ease, even with a drawl. "Halfbreed, huh? It's a term for half-human, half-demon. Go figure."

Jr. blinked, not understanding fully." Okay… so how does one know who is a halfbreed?"

"It's the hair," Hakkai replied softly, "Those with mixed heritage are known to possess red hair."

Realization dawned on him, then. "Oh, so that's why the people here stare at us like that! It's because of our hair. But isn't that a stereotype? I mean, not all redhead are of mixed heritage, right?"

Gojyo shook his head, his long hair dancing a little at the movement. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. Throughout this whole journey the only redhead I've met is myself."

Sanzo snorted at that, and Hakkai, noticing how their new young friend had become pensive and forlorn, voiced his concern, "Jr.-san? Is something the matter?"

_Red hair?_ Jr. thought bitterly, _Come to think of it I have never seen anyone back there with red hair. No one but me. Am I a halfbreed then? Half-human, half-demon? I guess it fits, somehow. My father, though human, is a demon. Used his own son for his stupid ambition that involved a lot of sacrifices. And me? A monster. I betrayed my comrades. I killed my twin brother, my father and my youngest brother. How ironic._

"Jr.-san?"

Jr. shook his head, dislodging the horrible thought. When he replied, his voice was a little strangled than he intended it to be. "Yeah, don't worry, I'm alright." He turned to glance at Sanzo, his eyes now sparkling with a challenge and excitement, no longer they held a trace of despair, making him look younger than twelve. "Hey, Sanzo, what do you think if one day we are to duel with our guns? I want to see how really good you are, and also to test my skills. It has been a damn long time since I have done that."

Sanzo looked down at the faux-child through half-lidded eyes, but his face had the barest hint of a smirk. "Challenge accepted. You will know when that time come."

Gojyo, Goku and Hakkai stared at Sanzo as if he was a stranger. The young priest ignored them and continued watching the night with his faithful cigarette in between his lips.

"That's great!" Jr. gushed excitedly. "There is no fun, no challenge to be the only gunman in the group. A challenge would be marvelous!"

Sanzo silently agreed.

Jr. yawned. Boy, he was tired. He hadn't get much sleep lately, as he got so much of paperwork to do, and meetings to attend. Being the remaining Director of the Durandal and the Kukai Foundation was extremely demanding, even more so after the destruction of Durandal, and his brother. He had been so busy he had no time to grieve or reminisce, and though it was a good thing, he was tired. Very tired. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was until now.

"Go to sleep, Jr.-san," Hakkai said gently. Honestly speaking he had never seen anyone so young looking so worn.

Bleary blue eyes met with concerned green. "How about you guys?"

"It's alright, don't worry about us," Gojyo said dismissively, waving Jr. off.

Jr. was too sleepy to argue. Mumbling a 'good night' to his newfound friends, he was sound asleep before he landed fully on his futon. Hakkai proceeded to pull a blanket over the sleeping figure.

"I don't understand half of what he is saying," Goku grumbled, "What exactly is U-DO? Red Dragon Mode? The ... Anti-UDO Shift?"

"Just let it go, Goku," Hakkai advised tiredly. "We will come to know the details soon." He glanced down at the slumbering childlike young man. "He seems to be in pain just telling us about himself, as if that alone hurts him like no other."

"Yeah," Gojyo agreed, exhaling roughly. "Which makes me wonder what else is buried in there."

"Whatever it is we will find out soon enough," Sanzo snapped, throwing out his cigarette butt out of the window before glaring at them. "Now go to sleep already! If you can't wake up tomorrow I will not hesitate to leave you behind!"

"Grumpy, aren't we?" Gojyo muttered, but he settled down anyway. He flung one arm over his brow and closed his eyes, a smirk of sorts still plastered on his faced. He heard Goku happily collapsed on a futon beside him, and Gojyo felt his face contorted in mild disgust, thinking about the bits of food scattered all over that mattress, but then, being a brainless monkey Goku was, Gojyo was not at all surprised.

His thoughts ran back to Jr. A really strange boy, a really strange story, if he had any say. Unlike Goku, he, and he was quite sure the rest, too, understood most of what the kid had told them, weird jargons not included. It all seemed mind-boggling somehow, that a 27 year-old adult trapped in the body of a mere 12 year-old. Or in other words… Gojyo visibly shuddered, not really wanting to think about it, but the thought came to him nonetheless. How could anyone stand spending years in the body of a child? And he didn't mean Goku, for it was an entirely different case with the bakasaru. What kept Jr. sane living in a child's body was beyond him.

A familiar snore derailed his train of thoughts. Uh-huh, Goku had fallen asleep. Really, that kid could sleep through anything and everything, and nothing seemed to bother the monkey. A smile returned to his features once more. If only his life was bit as carefree as Goku's…

That smile turned into a slight frown when he realized something; that amidst the loud, annoying snores, he heard a small moan of pain, followed by agonized murmurs of "_No… no… stop it… I'm sorry… please… stop it…_"

One crimson eye opened, and Gojyo tilted his head to his right where the pitiful sound originated from. Jr. The boy's face was wrenched in anguish and pain so true Gojyo felt his own heart constrict at the sight. Beads of sweat clung on the Jr.'s forehead; the small body gave involuntary shudders as he thrashed weakly underneath the thin blanket. And very much to Gojyo's alarm, he saw tears running down the boy's cheeks.

His instincts were right again. Jr. had more than he let on, and whatever secrets he had been harboring did not seem at all pleasant. Yet, he was still taken off-guard by the raw agony expressed on Jr.'s face. Ha had not expected Jr. to be in so much torment, probably because Jr. managed to conceal it so well, behind huge, easy grins and flippant, outgoing attitude. Or probably because he was in a child's form… an innocent form that could deceive all eyes in its mere appearance.

Unable to watch Jr. in the throes of his nightmare, he almost got up from his lying position when the said boy suddenly bolted upright with a strangled gasp, breathing hard and shaking uncontrollably. He ran a trembling hand over his face, and Gojyo heard him mutter, "Dammit… not again… goddammit…"

"Jr.-san, are you alright?" Hakkai's soft voice startled both him and Jr. Neither realized that Hakkai was still awake.

Jr. took a deep, shaky breath to desperately calm his racing heart but the voice that emerged from his throat was still weak and raspy. "I – I'm fine, Hakkai… Just a stupid nightmare…" He flung off the sweat-soaked sheet and staggered to his feet, swaying slightly. "I'm… I'm going out for awhile… take a walk… I will be right back…"

Before either could say anything, Jr. stumbled his way towards the door and broke out into a run. They heard his desperate, rapid footfalls pounding the ground before the sound disappeared altogether.

Silence settled down in the room once again. Only Goku's snores resonated throughout the room. Gojyo propped himself up into a sitting position and stared across the room at Hakkai, who was wearing a quietly troubled expression.

"Hey, Kai, thought you were asleep," Gojyo said, fumbling around for a packet of cigarette. Only to find it empty. Oh, that's right; he finished the last one just now. He crumpled the empty box in silent frustration.

"Can't sleep," Hakkai said softly.

As silence reigned the atmosphere once more, Gojyo turned to look at the window, and to his mild surprise, realized that it was raining quite heavily outside. That explained the darker, gloomier night, with the accompaniment of a chilly breeze, rumbles of thunder and brief flashes of lightning. Then he understood.

"Is it because of the rain, or Jr.?" Gojyo mused, shifting his attention back to the brunette, an eyebrow raised.

Hakkai gave a pained smile. "Both, but I have to admit, for now Jr. dominates my thoughts rather than my past."

Gojyo snorted. "Speaking of past, Sanzo is sound asleep instead of staring out at the rain and chain-smoking as he takes casual long walks down Memory Lane."

"Just leave him be, Gojyo," Hakkai warned.

"What?" Gojyo retorted, "It's not like he can hear us…"

A sudden rustle from the futon where Sanzo was occupying caused both of them to look over. Sanzo's hand was absently reaching for his gun while muttering about a certain pest of redhead who he was itching to exterminate. Gojyo sweatdropped, and Hakkai seemed to be able to smile easier now.

"So why are you unable to sleep?" It was Hakkai's turn to ask him now.

Gojyo shrugged, absently tossing his long crimson hair behind his shoulder. "Same thing as you – Jr. dominates my thoughts too."

A slight pause. A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the room for a moment, before leaving them in the darkness again.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Hakkai asked, "All alone out in the pouring rain? In a village whose residents look down at redheads in disgust and disdain?"

Gojyo shook his head, dismissing the question without a second thought. "Don't worry. He's going to be fine. He just needs to blow off some steam. One thing about us redheads, we are tough, and can take care of ourselves just fine. Besides, that kid is no ordinary kid. We have seen him fight and both you and I know there's more to him than that."

Hakkai was inclined to agree. But he couldn't help feeling uneasy, and what frustrated him was that he was unable to put his finger to what was causing the feeling of dread.

Gojyo yawned. Hell, he was sleepy now. "C'mon, 'Kai, don't think about it. Go to sleep, okay? Coz I am going to sleep now. 'Night."

Hakkai managed an amused smile. "Morning, Gojyo, and have a good rest."

By now Gojyo had drawn a blanket over himself. True to his words, Gojyo was fast asleep in mere instances. Shaking his head, Hakkai glanced at the window, watching the rain for a few brief minutes before settling down on his futon. His emerald eyes fell shut, and he was soon lulled into a dreamless sleep by the rhythmic sound of the rain hammering the ground.

* * *

Jr. ran, so intent on getting away from the room, the futon, and his nightmare he barely realized where he was going or that rain was pouring all around him. He was overcome with the desperate need to run, away from the truth that had turned into a terrifying nightmare, haunting even in his waking moments.

"Dammit…" Jr. muttered softly as he collapsed against the wall that was erected around the outline of the village, no longer had the strength to keep on running.

He raised his head, looking at the forest yet not really seeing anything. Once again, his mind churned with turmoil.

_Why? Why must this happen to me? What have I done to receive such suffering? Why must the nightmares follow me here? Haven't they torment me enough back there in my own world? Why wouldn't they leave me the hell alone?_

"It's not wise for you to stay out here in this time of night," a voice said plainly, yet it unceremoniously yanked him out of his tortured daze. "Unless, of course, it's your funeral."

Jr. shot the man a sharp glare. He hadn't realized that he wasn't alone out here, and that fact annoyed him. A lot. And besides from his recurring nightmares, some people just won't leave him alone, especially during the time he needed it the most.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jr. snapped, obviously in no mood for guessing games. He cared not for the tactlessness of his language. All he wanted was to be left alone, and Fate, ever his enemy, refused to grant him even that.

The man shrugged, apparently unaffected by Jr.'s anger. "I usually lock this gate at night, for hordes of demons tend to come and terrorize us. These gates are what that keep them away, till now."

Jr. snorted, disgusted by the absurdity of it all. What, a big, steel gate was fearsome enough to keep demons at bay? Yeah, right! He was about to voice this out when he felt it. A powerful feeling of unease that wrenched his stomach and wrapped his heart with icy dread. All of his senses heightened suddenly, his whole body tensed as his muscles became as taut as coiled springs. He could sense a dark aura of danger and menace heading straight for this place more clearly now. Instinctively his hands reached for his waiting guns.

"Lock the gate," he said, eyes raptly fixed on the forest, waiting for the threat to make an appearance. By now he was already in full combat mode; he was a weapon afterall.

"Huh?" The man blinked, not understanding.

"I said, lock the fucking gate!" Jr. snarled. "The demons will be here anytime now!"

At that, the man hurried to close the heavy gate and lock it. His eyes went wide with fright.

The demons were close, Jr. could feel that, but he took a step back, almost leaning on the gate itself. He wanted the man to hear him. "Listen, old man," He paused, remembering Ziggy, "and listen well. I'm going to do what I can to stall them and keep them out of the village. Should they manage to defeat me and break through, have no fear. My friends inside the village should be more than capable to provide a stronger defense for your village. No matter what, your village will definitely stay unharmed."

"But –"

Jr. overrode the man's attempt to interrupt, frowning. "Shut the fuck hell up and listen to me. Whether I make it through this or not, I want you to promise me something."

"What?" The man whispered.

Sapphire eyes narrowed and darkened. Any second now. "Promise me that… after this whole damned thing, you and your fellow villagers will learn to accept what you call '_halfbreeds_' into your society. Welcome them, cherish them and love them as you do your own."

As soon as he had finished, dozens of demons filed out of the forest. Jr. walked slowly towards them, a smirk playing on his face as a sense of excitement and anticipation thrilled through him. As the result he didn't hear the man replied, "I promise."

"What is this?" One of them, the leader obviously, crackled upon seeing Jr. standing in between them and the village. "The pathetic humans send a little boy to intercept us?"

His fellow comrades sniggered. Jr. felt anger stirring within him, no, stirring the Red Dragon within him but he battled it down. He won't use his Red Dragon mode just yet. He wanted to have some serious fun first.

So he only smirked, undeterred and unafraid. "No. They didn't send anyone. I just came here for some fresh air, and you are in my way, sucking it all up. Good thing, too. Because right now I need some serious exercise, as well as something to relieve my stress."

"Oh? And what can you do?" The same spokesperson sneered. "Bawl and cry for your momma?"

"Only this!" Faster than the demons anticipated, Jr. whipped out his weapons and fired. Two demons on the either sides of the leader collapsed on the ground, dead, with holes in the centre of the forehead. The whole army of demons paralyzed with shock. Two of the best were killed by a kid, with a single, true shot, right on the spot? And the kid didn't even move!

Seeing this, Jr.'s smirk grew, and he couldn't resist taunting, "You know, right that it's dangerous to let a kid with guns loose? Well, it's even more dangerous to let a kid with guns, who knows how to use them, loose. And that kid just took out two of your comrades with no apparent effort at all."

The leader's face turned a hideous shade of deep purple. He was furious beyond words that a mere child had gotten the best of them, and stood there so fearlessly and mocking them. "Damn you, brat! Kill him! Rip him to pieces! Show him no mercy! Let's show the brat who we are, and what happens if anyone dare to mess with us!"

The demons gave a thunderous roar. The sight should be intimidating, but Jr. just grinned, cerulean eyes sparkling. "Bring it on, bastards! Show me what you've got! The more you don't hold back, the more fun I have, so come on!"

At this, the whole army surged forward; weapons held high, their battle cries rang through the night. Ten went down without even reaching within the touching distance of Jr.. Jr. let loose a Storm Waltz, killing off another ten before he was overwhelmed, yet he wasn't afraid not did he stop moving; his guns never stop spitting hails of deadly bullets. One after one of the enemies were killed under his relentless assault, and though the number never seemed to be decreasing, Jr. pressed on his attacks, using all all-party attacks he could think of whenever and wherever possible: Angelic Requiem, Mystic Nocturne and a last Storm Waltz (his particular favorite but he was running out of coins). These special attacks sapped a great deal of his strength but he kept on moving, knowing that if he paused for even a second he would be struck down.

But he was only one person against so many, and soon he was tiring. Nevertheless, defeat was _not_ an option. Time to use his trump card.

* * *

By now, the Sanzo-ikkou was already wide-awake and highly alert.

"Do you feel that?" Goku asked, eyes huge and anxious.

"Youkais," spat Sanzo. He was already on his feet, gun cocked and ready to shoot.

"There seems to be a whole lot of them," Gojyo remarked as they bolted out of the room and were already heading for the source of premonition.

"We must hurry," Hakkai stated, and they pounded faster.

Soon they found themselves nearing the entrance of the village; the huge steel gates locked tight. Through the steel bars they could see Jr. standing in the middle of a fray of youkais, which were closing in for the kill. They screeched into a horrified halt.

"Jr.-san!" Hakkai hollered, at the same time a fiery red light enveloped the young child, and with a scream of rage and pain, the light burst forth, so bright, so blinding the foursome had to shield their eyes. From where they were standing, they could feel the heat of the fearsome power.

As soon as the brilliance faded away, they looked back at the battlefield. Scorched youkai corpses were scattered everywhere, their foul stench contaminating the night, and in the middle of it all Jr. was lying prone and motionless on the blood-saturated ground.

"Open the gate!" Gojyo roared, barely able to restrain himself from flinging at the fumbling human. "Open the fucking gate now!"

At the sound of the gate being unlocked, Hakkai was the first to sprint ahead, pushing the heavy gate open with seemingly no effort at all and rushed to the boy's side.

"Jr.-san! Jr.-san!" He cried, losing his usual composure of a calm motherhen. Seeing an unconscious child always tore away at his defenses. "Can you hear me, Jr.-san?"

Thankfully the boy had no major injuries; just several minor scratches and bruises, and Hakkai felt relieved further still when bleary blue eyes blinked open.

"I'm fine," Jr. replied, more like rasped. "Just…" the eyes slid close again. "Just tired."

Hakkai scooped Jr. into his arms, ignoring weak protests. As they walked past the gaping man, those eyes opened again and regarded the man with surprisingly clear glare.

"Honor your promise," Jr. whispered, and Hakkai felt a chill clamping around his heart at the words. "Like I have honored mine. If you don't, I will return to honor your funeral."

Then the eyes closed again, and Jr.'s head lolled to sink into the crook of Hakkai's shoulder, weariness had snatched his consciousness away.

"He sounds like Sanzo," Goku mumbled, earning a hard smack on the head from the priest. He gave an indignant yelp, holding his head and looking up at Sanzo with hurt, puppy eyes.

"Let's go back," Sanzo muttered.

And so they went back.

- **End of Chapter Two, Part One** -

* * *

Still on hiatus unless otherwise stated.


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